On Wednesday 28th March, the nominations for the 39th Annual Sports Emmys Awards were revealed. Esports has had a presence in the awards for two years in a row now, with ELEAGUE and Riot Games receiving nominations in various categories.
ELEAGUE was nominated for Outstanding Trans-media Sports Coverage, Outstanding Live Graphic Design, and The George Wensel Technical Achievement Award. These nominations are specifically for ELEAGUE’s coverage on TBS and Twitch. The company was previously recognised and nominated for Set Design in 2017. ELEAGUE is going up against the likes of HBO, NBA, FOX, and NHL across the different categories it has been nominated in.
Riot Games’ title League of Legends is nominated for Outstanding Live Graphic Design, specifically for the developer’s YouTube channel. Curiously, this category is also home to one of ELEAGUE’s three nominations, so the two esports entities will be competing against each other for the award. They’re among big sporting competitions, such as the 2017 NBA Finals, NBA All-Star Weekend, and College Basketball on ESPN.
Chuck Dages, Chairman, NATAS said the following about the 39th Sports Emmy Awards: “The world of sports television grows larger with each passing year and this year was no exception. The 39th Sports Emmy Awards encompassed a record-setting number of entries across multiple categories and the level of quality continues to show the growth and seemingly, unlimited potential of what is available for the sports viewing audience.”
The full list of nominations are available for you to browse.
Esports Insider says: It’s good to see esports in the same conversation as traditional sports, but more so when it comes to receive recognition in a mainstream award ceremony. Hopefully ELEAGUE and Riot Games both win, but even if they don’t, this is another well-deserved step in the right direction.
